Electric fuse handle



March 9, 1937 L. LUDWIG 2373,1161

ELECTRIC FUSE HANDLE Filed Oct. 27, 1934 INVENTOR. L 0 W5 L vdw/ pm "(MATTORNEY".

Patented Mar. 9, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

The invention relates to safety handles for electric fuses of thecartridge type. It has for its main object to provide an insulatinghandle which may be applied to any such fuse and which will eifectivelyremove any danger of a person receiving shocks or burns while insertingor removing the fuse from the fuse contacts. Another object is to soconstruct the handle that the persons fingers will be guarded even whenthe fuse is either purposely or accidentally withdrawn from one contactonly instead of from both contacts simultaneously, as sometimes happens.

A further object is to provide a handle which will not obscure the labelon the fuse on which the fuse capacities are printed. A still furtherobject is to so construct the handle that it will not interfere with theclosing of the door of the fuse box. Additional objects are to provide afuse handle of simple and strong construction, which can bema-nufacturedand applied to the fuse at low cost.

These and various other objects and advantages will readily beunderstood from the accompanying drawing of a preferred embodiment ofthe invention in which, however, certain modifications may be madewithout departing from the appended claims. In the drawing Fig. 1 is aside elevation of a standard cartridge fuse to which the handle has beenattached,

Fig. 2 a similar view showing the finger grip in its other position,

Fig. 3 a front view of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 a plan view of the handle member.

While I am aware that it has previously been proposed to attach handlesto cartridge fuses, none of such handles provide complete assurance ofsafe handling nor do they contain some of the other features shown inthe present invention.

Referring now to all the views, simultaneously, the insulating bodymember of a cartridge fuse is shown at l0 and the metal contact membersat H and I2. The handle member consists of a band l3, made of insulatingmaterial as for example fibre, which encircles the body part of the fuseand the ends of which are bent and shaped to form a pair of lugs l4between which a finger grip I5 is pivotally mounted on an eyelet I6. Astop I! is formed integral with the finger grip.

The fuse is used in the following manner: When it is desired to insertthe fuse, the finger grip is maintained in the position shown in Fig.

1 and the finger grip is held between the thumb and the first finger. Asthe fuse is pressed in between the contacts, the fuse body ll] acts as aguard and prevents the fingers from slipping. When it is desired toremove the fuse, the finger grip is moved to the position as shown inFig. 2, in which the stop ll engages against the metal contact ll. Whenin this position a finger may be inserted between the finger grip andthe body of the fuse and the fuse may thus readily be withdrawn from thefuse contact.

It frequently happens when a fuse is being removed that one end willdisengage from its contacts while the other end is still engaged. Thisgenerally causes the persons fingers to slide along the fuse, or thefuse handle, and often results in serious burns. With the present handlethis danger is completely eliminated inasmuch as the persons finger isguarded between the fuse body and the finger grip. In fact, advantagemay often be taken of this fact. When a fuse is hard 20 to remove, oneend at a time may safely be disengaged. This is of particular advantageon large fuses.

Having described my invention and its object, what I claim as new andwish to protect by Letters Patent is:-

1. A handle for fuses of the type described comprising, a band ofinsulating material for encircling one end of the body member of thefuse, the ends of said band bent outwardly from said body member, ahandle secured to said ends and extending towards the other end of thebody member, the handle curved so that a finger may be inserted betweenit and the body member, and the handle pivoted to the said ends so thatit may be extended from and folded against the body member.

2. A handle fuse of the type described comprising, a band of insulatingmaterial for encircling one end of the body member of the fuse, the endsof said band bent outwardly from said body member, an insulating handlesecured to said ends and extending towards the other end of the bodymember, the handle pivoted to the ends so that it may be extended fromand folded against the body member, and means associated with the handlefor causing the end of the fuse opposite to that to which the band issecured to disengage from its contact before the other end is disengagedwhen a pull is exerted on the handle.

LOUIS LUDWIG.

